Method and equipment for regulating ballast of a railway track



Jan. 27, 1970 w FINGER 3,491,467

METHOD AND EQUIPMEIIJT FOR REGULATING BALLAST OF A RAILWAY TRACK Filed Oct. 25, 1966 3 Sheets-Sheet 1 O a o D 0 0 a 0 I a m o 32 7 cl 0 a Q 0 B0 5 \9 14 F/aZ q Z @wm ATTOEA/EYS Jan. 27, 1970 w. FINGER 3,491,467

METHOD AND EQUIPMENT FOR REGULATING BALLAST OF A RAILWAY TRACK Filed Oct. 25, 1966 s Sheets-Sheet 2 1-4 2} [152K EWGER Ley ggifm g g wnam S Jan. 27, 1970 w. FINGER METHOD AND EQUIPMENT FOR REGULATING BALLAST OF A RAILWAY TRACK 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Oct. 25, 1966 U 0 9 0 o o oo o //V VENT 0/2 WA m9: Ewen z QM a m a o Q O o %o DM 4 United States Patent 3,491,467 METHOD AND EQUIPMENT FOR REGULATING BALLAST OF A RAILWAY TRACK Walter Finger, Lausanne, Switzerland, assignor to Matisa Materiel Industriel S.A., Lausanne, Switzerland, 21 Swiss corporation Filed Oct. 25, 1966, Ser. No. 589,456 Claims priority, application Switzerland, Oct. 29, 1965, 14,990/ 65 Int. Cl. E01b 27/02; E02f 5/22; B61f 19/00 US. Cl. 37-104 Claims ABSTRACT OF THE DISCLOSURE Novel equipment for the regulation of the ballast of a railway track is disclosed, the equipment comprising a pair of ballast distributing and profiling mechanisms displaceable along the respective rails of a railway track. Each ballast distributing and profiling mechanism incorporates an assembly of plate members disposed about the associated rail to provide, for the associated rail, a substantially U-shaped plow having side walls. The assembly of plate members embodies at least three plates, one of the plates extending substantially transverse to the associated rail and being provided, at its lower marginal region with a recess for passage of the associated rail. Each of the other plates extend approximately in the lengthwise direction of the associated rail on opposite sides thereof to provide the side walls. A cover plate is also provided for each ballast distributing and profiling mechanism so as to form a tunnel for the associated rail.

The present invention relates to improved equipment for the regulation of ballast of a railway track as well as to an improved method for the distribution and profiling of such ballast.

During the construction or renewal of a track, a quantity of new ballast is deposited along the track and which subsequently is spread into the cribs between the sleepers or crossties. This ballast is conveyed in wagons and unloaded into elongated heaps or windrows along the track either on the shoulders or in the center. Thereafter, it is spread over the entire track by some form of mechanical equipment.

Generally, such equipment consists of a railway vehicle .running upon the track being worked and upon which there are mounted blades in the form of a plow. These blades enclose a predetermined angle with respect to the axis of the railway track in order to impart to the ballast -a transverse movement during advance or displacement of the aforesaid vehicle.

However, it should be appreciated that difficulty arises in transferring the ballast over the string of rails because of their height and their shape. The technique or manner of operation which is presently employed makes use of the dynamic effect of the speed of the vehicle, by means of which the ballast is raised by the blades of the plow and projected along the blades towards the other side of the rail. Accordingly, it is thus necessary that the vehicle has a certain speed in order to transfer the ballast from one side of the string of rails to the other.

This method .of working has certain disadvantages. First of all, there is a high degree of wear on the blades owing to the friction of the ballast. Further, it is also impossible to control, as required, the trajectories of the ballast particles in relation to the working speed. Additionally, there also occurs friction and jamming of the blades against the rails due to the fact that the ballast plows used up to the present are pushed in front of the vehicle. This requires that relatively large sections must be cut out of the blades for passage of the rails in order to move the equipment through curves. Consequently, it is easy for stones to become jammed in the cut-out sections between the blade and the rail. Hence, the blade is strongly resisted whilst the vehicle continues to push forward. As a result, the members joining the vehicle to the plow are severely stressed, this becoming that more serious since they must be movable in order to allow the plow to be raised when the vehicle travels to and from the working site.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide an improved method of, and equipment for, regulating the ballast of a railway track in a manner which effectively overcomes the aforementioned disadvantages of the prior art.

Another, more specific object of the present invention resides in the provision of improved ballast regulating equipment which eliminates the costly and fatiguing manual handling of the ballast.

Still a further noteworthy object of the present invention relates to an improved method and equipment for the distribution and profiling of ballast in an extremely efficient, speedy and reliable manner, with a minimum of effort and fairly precise control of the displacement trajectory of the ballast.

Yet a further import-ant object of the present invention relates to improved ballast regulating equipment which is relatively simple and robust in construction, highly reliable in operation, capable of performing at a speed which is in rhythm with other ballast handling apparatus, to thereby provide for high output and coordination of effort, while requiring a minimum of supervision, with the equipment capable of being used by only a single operator.

Now, in order to implement these and still further objects of the present invention, which will become more readily apparatus as the description proceeds, the equipment according to the invention for regulating the ballast of a railway track and which is mounted at a railway vehicle comprises two assemblies of metal e.g. steel plates disposed such as to form the walls of two plows which are open-ended in the direction of movement of the equipment. Each assembly of such metal plates and which defines a ballast distributing and profiling mechanism incorporates three plates which are disposed approximately vertically, and one of which is situated substantially transverse to the railway track astride a rail and provided at its lower side or marginal edge with a cut-out or recess for the passage of the associated rail. The two other plates extend approximately lengthwise of the railway track and are hingedly connected at both sides of the associated rail to the transverse plate by means of an articulated connection which can be held in the angular position selected for the two lengthwise extending plates. Additionally, and according to the invention there is provided a cover plate for the associated rail and which forms a tunnel which is rigidly fixed to the transverse plate on the same side of the lengthwise extending plates.

Such equipment operates with almost static or semistatic efiect since the ballast initially accumulates in the back part of the associated plow. As such ballast increasingly accumulates it spills over the tunnel covering the associated rail, to thereby fall into the cribs on the other side of such rail. The ballast pieces or elements are no longer projected, as in the case of the known equipment. The vehicle can move equally well and at very slow speed in order to pass through tight clearances or difficult locations, and it can also move at the ordinary speed of known plows.

The equipment which is the subject of the present invention is preferably joined to the vehicle in such a way that the open ends of the plows or pockets face the aforementioned vehicle. This arrangement or method of fixing implies that the plows are drawn by the vehicle for the purpose of regulating the ballast. This expedient also simplifies the passage of the plows through curves in the railway track.

As already developed, the present invention is also concerned with an improved method of distributing and profiling the ballast along the rails of a railway track. Generally speaking, the inventive method comprises the steps of depositing a quantity of ballast along the track, applying a ballast distributing and profiling mechanism in straddling relation to the rail of the track at which the ballast is to be distributed, while covering a portion of the rail with a tunnel-shaped cover member in the intended direction of movement of said ballast distributing and profiling mechanism. Then, this ballast distributing and profiling mechanism is displaced along the rail of the track, to thereby engage and darn up a part of the ballast at the rear end of the aforesaid ballast distributing and profiling mechanism, such dammed-up ballast forming a barrier for the remainder of the ballast, and then the displacement of such ballast distributing and profiling mech' anism is continued along the rail in order to cause the ballast located in front of the portion of the dammed-up ballast at the rear of the aforesaid mechanism to laterally spill over the tunnel-shaped cover member from one side of the rail to the other. In the practical performance of the inventive method a ballast distributing and profiling mechanism is arranged at each rail, and by means of such ballast distributing and profiling mechanisms it is possible to regulate the ballast by initially depositing such in an elongaed heap either outside of both of the string of rails, at the center of the railway track, or along the outside of one string of rails.

The invention will be better understood, and objects other than those set forth above, will become apparent when consideration is given to the following detailed description thereof. Such description makes reference to the annexed drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a side elevational view of the ballast regulating equipment of the present invention including part of the vehicle to which it is connected;

FIGURE 2 is a top plan view of the ballast regulating equipment depicted in FIGURE 1;

FIGURE 3 is a horizontal cross sectional view of the ballast regulating equipment depicted in FIGURE 1, taken along the line I-I thereof;

FIGURE 4 is vertical sectional view of a portion of the ballast regulating equipment depicted in FIGURE 2, taken along the line II-lI thereof; and

FIGURES 5a, 5b, 5c and 5d schematically depict different methods of regulating the ballast in accordance with the equipment depicted in FIGURES 1 to 4.

Describing now the drawings, the equipment constitut ing the subject matter of the present invention is fixed to a railway vehicle 1, only a portion of which is shown in FIGURES 1 and 2, wherein such railway vehicle 1 is shown equipped with the axle 2. The railway track R which is in the course of construction or renewal is generally indicated by the two strings of rails 3 and 4 and the sleepers or crossties 5. The direction of movement of this railway vehicle 1, when working, is indicated by the arrow 6.

The inventive ballast regulating equipment comprises two ballast distributing and profiling mechanisms B in the form of two identical plows or open housing units, as will be further described shortly, with one such plow being associated with each string of rails 3, 4.

Each plow-like ballast distributing and profiling mechanism B is capable of being raised separately by means of a hydraulic jack 7. As best shown in FIGURE 1, these jacks 7 are fixed, at 8, to the chassis of the railway vehicle 1. The piston rod 7a of each of these hydraulic jacks 7 is hingedly connected at location 9 to an extension 1011 of a bar 10 forming part of a set of tie bars 10, 11 which are mounted in parallelism. These bars 10 and 11 are pivotably connected at one end to the railway vehicle 1 by means of the bearings 12 and 13 respectively, of the support means 14, and at the other end to the associated ballast distributing and regulating mechanism B by means of the bearings 15 and 16 respectively, of the support members 17. As a result, each plowlike ballast distributing and profiling mechanism B can be raised in order to allow the railway vehicle 1 to travel freely upon the railroad track R. In the lowered position, each such plow-like ballast distributing and profiling mechanism B rests upon one of the string of rails 3 or 4 by means of a roller element 18.

The support or carrier means 17 are welded or otherwise affixecl to a horizontal steel plate 19. This plate member 19 is rigidly fixed, as shown, on to the associated plow-like ballast distributing and profiling mechanism B which comprises three metal plates 20, 22 and 23, these plates being more or less approximately vertically arranged. The first such plate member, indicated by reference character 20, is situated transverse to the railroad track R and straddles the associated string of rails 3 or 4. It will also be recognized that this transverse extending plate member 20 is provided with a cut out section or recess 20a at its lower marginal edge or side to accommodate passage of the associated string of rails.

The two other plates or plate members 22, 23 which constitute the plow-like ballast distributing and profiling mechanism B are fixed to the transverse plate 20 on either side of the associated rail 3, 4 and, with the technique or mode of operation most frequently employed, these plates 22, 23 are oriented more or less lengthwise or longitudinally with respect to the railway track and extend in the same direction. A cover plate 21 which is configured to form a tunnel extends over the associated string of rails 3, 4 and is welded at one end to the transverse plate member 20. The shape of this cover plate 21 forming the tunnel may best be recognized by inspecting FIGURE 4.

In the simplest embodiment of the invention, the two longitudinal or lengthwise extending plate members 22, 23 are simply welded or otherwise affixed to the transverse plate 20, thereby forming a plow-like ballast regulating mechanism of fixed shape. Nevertheless, it is also desirable to be able to modify the position of the outside plate member 22 by varying the angle which this plate member makes with the longitudinal axis of the string of rails. Likewise, a certain amount of movement of the inside plate member 23 is also desirable in order to render it possible to work in a number of different ways with the same equipment.

Accordingly, a preferred manifestation of the present invention contemplates hingedly connecting both of the lengthwise extending plate members 22 and 23 along a vertical axis to the transverse plate member 26. In this respect, any suitable hinge connection, such as those depicted by reference numerals 22a and 23a can be utilized for hingedly connecting the lengthwise extending plate members 22, 23 to the transverse plate 20. More over, for carrying out a selected method or technique of working, the position of the two lengthwise extending plate members 22, 23 can be fixed by means of the respective pin members 24, 25 which can be placed in both the holes or apertures 26 provided in the horizontal plate 19 and in the eyelets 27 and 28 provided on the plate members 22 and 23 respectively. Conveniently, a number of different holes 26 are provided at the horizontal plate 19 in order to enable fixation of the lengthwise extending plate members 22, 23 in the desired angular position.

By referring to FIGURES 1 and 3, it will be recognized that in order to impart the maximum effectiveness to the outside plate member 22 it is advantageously composed of two portions or parts 29 and 30 hingedly connected with one another in their common plane. It will be seen that the hinge connection is at location 31 (FIGURE 1) and the position of the end portion 30 of the plate member 22 is fixed relative to the other portion 29 thereof by means of a pin member 32 or equivalent structure, which can be placed in one of the holes 33 drilled in the inner portion 29 of the aforesaid plate member 22. This arrangement enables the end portion 30 of the plate member 22 to be appropriately inclined in accordance with the desired profile of the ballast bed.

Considering now the inside plate member 23 it will be seen that such carries a hinge 34, the axis of which is substantially parallel to the lower edge or side of such plate 23, so that its lower part constitutes a wing or flap 35 which can be selectively raised. This flap or wing 35 can be fixed by the pin member either in the vertical position wherein the lower side just clears the sleepers or crossties 5 or in the raised position which is equivalent to the complete withdrawal from use of the inside plate member 23. Of course, the withdrawal from use of this inner plate member 23 can also be undertaken by pivoting it through about 180 about its pivot axis or hingle connection 23a and with respect to the transverse plate 20. However, this technique presupposes that the ballast regulating mechanisms B can be raised sufficiently high in order to allow the inside plate member 23 of the first ballast regulating mechanism to pass beneath the second ballast regulating mechanism. Obviously, other methods of withdrawing the inside plate 23 are also readily possible.

The different techniques or methods of working with the equipment previously considered are best illustrated in FIGURES 5a, 5b, 5c and 5d.

FIGURE 5a shows the most usual case of operating wherein the ballast is deposited in two elongated heaps or windrows 40 along the outside of the two strings of rails 3, 4. The objective is'to distribute this ballast uniformly on the two sides of each string of rails in the areas where an addition of ballast is necessary to form the support for the sleepers or crossties 5 on the ballast bed. The central region of the railway track remains empty so as to avoid the crossties from bearing at their center upon the ballast and rocking when traflic passes over them.

The railway vehicle which moves in the direction of the arrow 6, draws the two plows or ballast distributing and profiling mechanisms, previously considered, be-

hind it along the railway track. The ballast in the windrows 40 is drawn by the outside plates 22 towards the back part of the aforesaid plow-like ballast distributing and profiling mechanisms. Part of the ballast remains more or less stationary in the back part of the aforementioned plows and forms a barrier for the remainder of the ballast. The latter then flows or spills over the tunnel-shaped cover member 21 towards the inside of the railway track. The inside plate member 23 then acts as a retaining barrier on the inside of the track. The ballast then fallsinto the space between the cover plate 21 and the inside plate member 23. Since the lower surfaces of the ballast distributing and profiling mechanisms pass very close to the sleepers or crossties 5, the ballast is regulated to the height of the latter. The center of the cribs between the two strings of rail 3, 4 is only partially filled.

FIGURE 5b depicts the disposition or orientation of the plate members 22, 23 of each plow or ballast distributing and profiling mechanism for the situation where a ballast windrow 41 is deposited in the center of the railway track. It will be recognized that the inside plate members 23 of the two plows are positioned in such a manner that their ends abut or meet at the central region of the railway track. On the other hand, the out side plate members 22 are turned towards the rear at an angle determined by the width of the ballast bed. In this example, and as is also the case with the examples to follow, it is inevitable that the cribs between the crossties are filled with ballast at the center of the railway track.

FIGURES 5c and 5d depict the technique which is used in order to spread ballast which has been deposited in a windrow or elongated heap 43 along one side only of the railway track. In this case, two passes of the Vehicle are necessary, both being undertaken in the direction of the arrow 6. On the first pass, as clearly shown in FIGURE 50, the plate members 22 and 23 are oriented as shown. The lower part of flap 35 of the inside plate member 23 of the plow situated on the same side as the ballast windrow 43 is raised so that this plate member is almost withdrawn, and as shown with the dotted line position of such flap member. The inside plate member 23 of the other plow or ballast regulating mechanism is pushed as far as possible towards the side of the associated tunnel-shaped cover plate 21. On the first pass, part of the ballast is brought into the center of the railway track. After the second pass, illustrated in FIGURE 5d, the ballast has been spread over the entire width of the track, in other words, there has been undertaken a shifting of the ballast from the windrow 43 over the associated string of rails 4 towards the center of the track and then from the center of the track over the opposite string of rails. 3 towards the outside. As also shown in FIGURE 5d, during this second pass the inside plate member 23 of the second plow is positioned transversely to the railway track.

It should he therefore be apparent from the foregoing detailed description, that the objects set forth at the outset to the specification have been successfully achieved. Moreover, while there is shown and described present preferred embodiments of the invention, it is to be distinctly understood that the invention is not limited thereto, but may otherwise variously embodied and practiced within the scope of the following claims.

Accordingly, what is claimed is:

1. Equipment for the regulation of the ballast of a railway track comprising at least one ballast distributing and profiling mechanism displaceable along a rail of a railway track, said ballast distributing and profiling mechanism incorporating an assembly of plate members disposed about said rail to provide for only said rail a substantially U-shaped plow having side walls, said assembly of plate members embodying at least three plates, one of said plates extending substantially transverse to its associated rail a distance less than the spacing between the rails of the railway track and being provided at its lower marginal region with a recess for passage of said associated rail, each of the other of said plates extending approximately in the lengthwise direction of the associated rail on opposite sides thereof and providing said side walls, and a cover plate provided for said ballast distributing and profiling mechanism forming a tunnel for the associated rail.

2. Equipment for the regulation of the ballast of a railway track comprising a pair of ballast distributing and profiling mechanisms capable of being displaced along the rail of a railway track, each ballast distributing and profiling mechanism incorporating an assembly of plate members disposed to provide a plow which is open in the direction of movement of said ballast distributing and profiling mechanisms, each of said assembly of plate members embodying three plates which are substantially vertically disposed, one of said plates extending substantially transverse to its associated rail and being provided at its lower marginal region with a recess for passage of said associated rail, both of the other of said plates extending approximately in the lengthwise direction of the associated rail, means for pivotably connecting said lengthwise extending plates to said transverse plate and at opposite sides of said associated rail, whereby said lengthwise extending plates are pivotable in a horzontal plane, means for fixing the selected angular position of said lengthwise extending plates, and a cover 7 plate for each ballast distributing and profiling mechanism forming a tunnel for the associated nail, said cover plate being rigidly fixed to said transverse plate at the side extending in the working direction of movement of said ballast distributing and profiling mechanisms.

3. Equipment for the regulation of the ballast of a railway track as defined in claim 2, further including a vehicle for displacing said ballast distributing and profiling mechanisms, and means for attaching said ballast distributing and profiling mechanisms to said vehicle such that the open ends of said plows confront said vehicle 4. Equipment for the regulation of the ballast of a railway track as defined in claim 2, wherein the lengthwise extending plate of each ballast distributing and profiling mechanism which is disposed at the outside of the associated rail includes a shiftable end portion which is moveable in the plane containing said outside disposed plate.

5. Equipment for the regulation of the ballast of a railway track as defined in claim 2, wherein the lengthwise extending plate of each ballast distributing and profiling mechanism which is disposed at the inside of the associated rail includes an upper portion connected with said transverse plate and a lower portion pivotably connected with said upper portion and capable of being displaced out of contact with the ballast.

6. Equipment for the regulation of the ballast of a railway track comprising at least one ballast distributing and profiling mechanism displaceable along a rail of a railway track, said ballast distributing and profiling mechanism incorporating an assembly of plate members disposed about said rail to provide for said rail a substantially U-shaped plow having side walls, said assembly of plate members embodying at least three plates, one of said plates extending substantially transverse to its associated rail and being provided at its lower marginal region with a recess for passage of said associated rail, each of the other of said plates extending approximately in the lengthwise direction of the associated rail on opposite sides thereof and providing said side walls, a cover plate provided for said ballast distributing and profiling mechanism forming a tunnel for the associated rail, each of the other of said plates which extend approximately in the lengthwise direction of the associated rail being pivotally mounted to said transverse plates at opposite sides of the associated rail, whereby said, lengthwise extending plates are pivotable in a horizontal plane to selected angular positions.

7. A ballast distributing and profiling mechanism for regulating the ballast of a railway track, said mechanism comprising:

a first plate means substantially vertically disposed and extending substantially transverse to the associated rail of the railway track, said first plate means being provided with a recess at its lower marginal region for the passage of said associated rail;

second and third elongated plate means substantially vertically disposed and pivotably mounted at one end thereof to said first plate means at opposite sides of said associated rail, said second and third elongated plate means being pivotable in horizontal plane to selected angular positions; and

cover plate means extending in the lengthwise direction of said associated rail from said first plate means for forming a tunnel for said associated rail.

8. A method of distributing and profiling ballast along the rails of a railway track, said method comprising the steps of:

depositing a quantity of ballast at the center of the railway track;

applying a ballast distributing and profiling mechanism in straddling relation to each rail of said railway track at which the ballast is to be distributed, while covering a portion of each rail with a tunnel-shaped 8 cover member in the intended direction of movement of said ballast distributing and profiling mechanism, each ballast distributing and profiling mechanism incorporating three substantially vertically disposed plates, one of which extends substantially transverse to the associated rail of the railway track while the remaining two plates extend lengthwise of said rail; positioning one lengthwise extending plate of each ballast distributing and profiling mechanism for wardly in the direction of movement of the latter and the other lengthwise extending plate rearwardly;

displacing said ballast distributing and profiling mechanisms along the rails of the track, to thereby engage and dam up a part of the ballast at the rear end of each said ballast distributing and profiling mechanisms, said dammed-up ballast forming a barrier for the remainder of the ballast; and

continuing displacement of said ballast distributing and profiling mechanisms along the rails to cause the ballast located in front of the portion of the dammed-up ballast at the rear of the ballast distributing and profiling mechanisms to laterally spill over the tunnel-shaped cover members from one side of each rail to the other, said ballast being displaced from the center of said railway track over the associated rails toward the outside of the railway track.

' 9. A method of distributing and profiling ballast along the rails of a railway track comprising the steps of:

depositing a quantity of ballast along the outside of one of the rails of the railway track;

applying a ballast distributing and profiling mechanism in straddling relation to each of said rails of said track at which the ballast is to be distributed, while covering a portion of the rails with tunnel-shaped cover members in the intended direction of movement of said ballast distributing and profiling mechanisms;

displacing said ballast distributing and profiling mechanisms along the rails of the track, to thereby engage and dam up a part of the ballast at the rear end of said ballast distributing and profiling mechanisms, said dammed-up ballast forming a barrier for the remainder of the ballast;

continuing displacement of said ballast distributing and profiling mechanisms along said rails to causethe ballast located in front of the portion of the dammed-up ballast at the rear of the ballast distributing and profiling mechanism to laterally spill over the tunnel-shaped cover member from one side of the rail to the other, whereby ballast from the outside of the rail is displaced toward the center of the railway track; and

adjusting the ballast distributing and profiling mechanism and then displacing such along the rails to displace ballast from the center of the track towards the outside of the opposite rail of the railway track.

10. Equipment for the regulation of the ballast of a railway track'comprising a pair of ballast distributing and profiling mechanisms capable of being displaced along the rails of a railway track, each ballast distributing and profiling mechanism embodying an assembly of plate members disposed to provide a plow which is open in the direction of movement of said ballast distributing and profiling mechanisms, each of said assembly of plate members embodying three plates which are substantially vertically disposed, one of said plates extending substantially transverse to its associated rail and being provided at its lower marginal region with a recess for passage of said associated rail, both of the other of said plates extending approximately in the lengthwise direction of the associated rail, means for pivotably connecting said lengthwise extending plates to said transverse plate and at opposite sides of said associated rail, whereby said lengthwise extending plates are pivotable in a substantially horizontal plane, means for fixing the selected angular position of said lengthwise extending plates, and a cover plate for each ballast distributing and profiling 5 mechanism forming a tunnel for the associated rail, said cover plate being rigidly fixed to said transverse plate.

References Cited UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,583,378 1/1952 Kershaw 37-105 Dangerfield 37104 Kershaw 37104 Kling 37104 Dressler 37-104 US. Cl. X.R. 

